Incubators have hitherto been provided, in general, with a hood covering a reclining surface and side panes with flaps. Open patient care units are equipped, in general, with heat radiation means for the reclining surface. So-called hybrids have a vertically movable covering hood with heat radiation means, so that either the state of a classical incubator or that of an open patient care unit can be established with a single arrangement.
Various suggestions have become known in the past years to open and to close the side walls of incubators and open patient care units, as this is described as an example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,709 and EP 1 106 160 B1.
Hinges are used in the embodiments that have become known so far to pivot the transparent side flaps upward or downward. The drawback of side flaps, which are folded down, is that the inner sides of the side flaps are touched by the clothing of the care provider in the opened state and thus they may become contaminated, so that the microorganisms may reach the patient in the incubator or in the care unit in the reclosed state of the side flaps. Another drawback arises from the fact that the side flaps are pulled downward by the force of gravity and may fall down when being opened and generate noise or even vibrations and shocks that affect the small patients.
The problem in case of side flaps that can be pivoted and folded upward about a horizontal axis onto the hood of the incubator is that these side flaps may interfere with the visible area in the opened state. They are likewise pulled downward by the force of gravity during closing and may cause loud disturbing noise or likewise shocks the patient as a result.
Side flaps that can be folded about a vertical axis likewise have not really proved successful, either, because the opened side flaps are in the way of the care provider on the left and right of the incubator hood and possibly block other therapy or monitor devices standing next to the thermotherapy device.